Thursday, August 28, 2014

I've gotten very lucky with my skin. I didn't have bad acne growing up and I was able to get away with wearing little to no makeup most of the time. I've always gone through phases where for a few months I would take really good care (I thought) of my skin but then I would miss one day and end up not really washing my face for weeks.

Recently I decided that I needed to take better care of my skin (I even made it one of my 101 in 1001!). My skin wasn't bad per se but it was probably the worst I have ever seen it. I didn't only want to make it better for the present though, I realized that if I wanted my skin to stay healthy I would have to start taking care of it before it got damaged. Through some trial (and lots of error) I have come up with what I think are pretty good morning and evening skincare routines for me. I am still playing around with some things though and definitely open to suggestions or advice!

Morning Routine

ROC Exfoliating Cleanser - This is a cleanser that I already had. I like it because even though it exfoliates it feels light and refreshing, perfect for starting the day! Unfortunately it looks like this product has been discontinued so I will have to try something else when mine runs out.

Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner - Not too sure how I feel about this product...I think it does its job well but it feels a bit harsh on my skin. I might do some searching to see if I can find something better when I finish this bottle.

Urban Decay Naked BB Cream - I've been using this throughout the summer in place of moisturizer AND foundation. Definitely a staple in my beauty routine. The cream has the perfect amount of color and leaves my skin nice and smooth. SPF is also a plus!

Evening Routine

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - This cleanser is amazing. I have really sensitive eyes and have always struggled to find a cleanser that removes my makeup without stinging my eyes and this is definitely a winner. Added bonus, washing it off with the hot muslin is super relaxing and always makes me feel ready for bed!

DDF Acne Control Treatment - As I mentioned before, I've never had bad acne so I'm not sure this step is really necessary for me. A friend of mine had given me a tube of this to try so I thought I might as well use it. To be honest, I'm not sold on it but again that might just be because I don't really need it. Either way, it's a bit expensive for me so I probably won't purchase another tube.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic - I received a free bottle of this with my Liz Earle Cleanser and I am totally in love. I don't know how to describe it but it just gives my skin a little extra oomph. I also use it in the mornings if my skin is feeling particularly dry and it does wonders.

Lush Enchanted Eye Cream - I tend to get circles under my eyes quite often so I thought adding an eye cream would sort that out for me. I've had a lot of success with Lush products recently (BB Seaweed Mask & Ocean Salt Scrub are amazing!) so I decided to give this a go. So far I like it and I LOVE that you only need to use a tiny bit.

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturizer - This stuff is AMAZING! You only need to use a little bit and it makes your skin feel fantastic and hydrated. I love using it at night because I feel like it really soaks in while I sleep.

What are your favorite skincare products? Any must-haves I should add to my repertoire?

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

I've been thinking a lot about goals lately. I've always been big on making goals, whether big or small I love having something to tick off a list. Unfortunately for a long time I got into the habit of making goals without coming up with plans to achieve said goals. I was just sitting back and hoping that things would turn out how I wanted them. Basically, I was living very passively and not going after what I wanted.

A while ago I was talking with a friend and he mentioned a leadership seminar he had gone to where they discussed making goals. The leader of the seminar had all of the attendees do an exercise where they wrote down a goal they had and then wrote down everything they would need to do to accomplish the goal. Without overthinking about it (as I often do), they had come up with a plan to achieve their goal. Even though this seems quite simple it resonated with me for some reason and got me thinking about why I hadn't been doing that to begin with.

In all honesty, I think the reason for my holding back is two-fold. One, I think that a lot of my generation has been taught that we can be/do anything. This has created a lot of "kids" with big dreams who grow up feeling entitled to their dreams. Obviously not everyone is like this but in my experience in the workplace I have noticed quite a few twenty-somethings who don't understand why they are not C-level execs straight out of college. The other thing that holds me back is my fear of failure. Again, I don't feel that I am alone in this, I am sure that most people have some level of fear or failing. However, instead of accepting failure as a possibility and going for what I want anyway, I have held back from pursuing the things that I want to prevent failing at them. Unfortunately for me, while lack of trying does prevent failing it also guarantees that I won't ever succeed.

Having spent some time thinking all of this through I realized it was time for me to grow up a bit. I can either let my fear hold me back and stay in limited jobs forever or I can throw a bit of caution to the wind and go after what I actually want. Obviously the latter sounds more exciting and so that's what I have chosen to do. While I happen to have many goals at the moment (hello, 101 in 1001) my main goal is to be accepted to graduate school for next fall. As terrifying as it is to tell people knowing that come January I may very well have to tell them that I didn't get in it is also thrilling. Thrilling to know that I am going after something I really want and thrilling to know that I just may get it. At the moment I am in the beginning stages of mapping out my application process and while it will be a lot of work I am super excited about it and having a great time planning it all out!

What are your goals right now? What methods are you implementing to achieve them? I'd love any extra input!